Starting with The Eagle Shooting Heroes: I gain a year's worth of skill every day.

"There is no imperial court here."

These words, spoken softly, sent a jolt through Feng Jingxin's soul.

He stiffly looked up, the dim candlelight in the dungeon illuminating Shen Mo's emotionless face.

Feng Jin's Adam's apple bobbed, and a chill rose from the depths of his heart. He suddenly understood.

In the eyes of this "real person," the so-called imperial court, military governors, and hundreds of thousands of troops are no different from the pebbles on the roadside.

"Your subordinate...yes!"

Feng Jin bowed deeply again, this time without the slightest hesitation or distraction.

"Within three days, the Bad Guys will present everything about An Lushan of Fanyang, down to the smallest detail, to the Master!"

"I will wait for you."

After speaking, the figure in blue disappeared without warning into the flickering candlelight, just as it had come.

Inside the dungeon, deathly silence descended once more.

Feng Jin remained bowed for a long time before slowly straightening up.

His back was completely soaked with cold sweat.

He walked to the wall, picked up the secret report about the "Golden Rain," and lit it in front of the candlelight.

That golden rain was a miracle bestowed casually by this immortal.

Now is the time for mortals to give back.

"Someone come here!"

Two trusted thugs emerged from the shadows and knelt on one knee.

"Issue my secret order: the four secret agents of the Bad People, named Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow, shall immediately cease all their current missions."

"Activate the 'Beacon Fire' secret order. At any cost, I need all the intelligence on An Lushan in Fanyang within three days."

"all."

"His troop deployments, trusted generals, wives, concubines, children, daily life, martial arts styles, lineage of teachers..."

"And all the unusual people and things around him."

The two thugs looked up abruptly, their eyes filled with horror.

The "Beacon Fire" secret order is the highest-level command of the Bad People, and it has never been actually used.

This means that the entire dark network lurking throughout the Tang Dynasty will operate at full capacity without regard for the consequences, and all spies will be exposed to the greatest risks, all for the sake of completing this one mission.

The target was none other than the powerful military governor of Fanyang.

"Vice Commander, this..."

"Execute the command!"

Feng Jin interrupted sharply, his eyes bloodshot.

"Those who disobey orders will be executed without mercy!"

"yes!"

The two thugs dared not say another word, obeyed the order, and their figures instantly disappeared into the darkness.

At this moment, the entire underground intelligence network of the Tang Dynasty began to operate in full force due to an order.

……

Three days later.

Chang'an, Xinghua Ward, a small courtyard.

Shen Mo remained seated on the stone bench, as if he hadn't moved an inch in the past three days.

The moonlight, like water, bathed the courtyard.

A figure knelt silently on the ground in front of him; it was Feng Jin.

His face was even paler than it had been three days ago, and he looked completely exhausted, but his eyes were unusually bright.

He raised his hands high, holding a heavy black iron box.

"A real person."

His voice was hoarse.

Everything you asked for is here.

Shen Mo opened his eyes.

He didn't look at Feng Jin; his gaze fell directly on the black iron box.

The box was opened remotely by true energy.

Inside were not papers, but extremely thin black jade slips.

This is the highest-grade intelligence carrier of the Bad Guys, made with secret methods, impervious to water and fire. If any external force forcibly probes it, it will be forcibly burned.

A massive flow of information instantly flooded Shen Mo's mind.

An Lushan, a mixed Hu (non-Han) from Yingzhou, originally surnamed Kang, was named Zhaluoshan because his mother was a shaman, meaning "god of war."

[When she was young, her mother prayed at a sacred mountain and saw a deity with a fox's head and a human body. She later became pregnant.]

[The man was extremely stout, with a belly that hung past his knees; it was rumored that he weighed over 300 jin (approximately 150 catties), yet when he danced and played music, he moved as swiftly as the wind.]

He held the positions of military governor of Pinglu, Fanyang, and Hedong, commanding an army of 200,000, known as the "Heroic Warriors," all elite troops with a hundred battles to their name. Under his command were 8,000 "Yeluohe" soldiers, all strong and capable Hu (non-Han) warriors, each worth ten men, who served as his personal guard.

Information flows continuously.

Troop deployment maps, lists of generals, networks of relationships... a three-dimensional and detailed intelligence network slowly began to form in Shen Mo's mind.

He saw An Lushan's extravagant mansion, his trusted advisor Yan Zhuang, and his brave adopted son An Qingxu.

Everything roughly matched his memories from his previous life.

Until his thoughts touched upon the information about "unusual people and events".

Firstly: Noble.

This man was originally a down-on-his-luck scholar who joined An Lushan's army several years ago and gained his deep trust. He was indifferent to wealth and women, and did not crave power; his only obsession was with ancient texts and magical arts. Once, a spies from the underworld infiltrated his study and found him enshrining a faceless statue, its form bizarre, neither Buddhist nor Taoist.

[Secondly: What a thousand years.]

[The adopted son of An Lushan's mother, Ashide, was treated like a brother by An Lushan. He always wore a black robe and a hood covering his face, obscuring his true features. Rumor has it that his martial arts skills were unfathomable; once, on a snowy night, he single-handedly killed three hundred invading Khitan cavalrymen. No one saw him make a move; only a black aura passed by, and men and horses were shattered. Three Xuan-level experts from the Bad Guys attempted to get close and investigate, but all died mysteriously, their bodies intact, their souls dissipated.]

Thirdly: Sacred Mountain.

Thirty li outside Fanyang City lies a solitary mountain, locally known as "Baihu Mountain." Every year in the twelfth lunar month, An Lushan would fast and bathe, then ascend the mountain alone to offer sacrifices, only descending three days later. During this time, the entire mountain would be sealed off by his personal guards, the "Yeluo River," preventing anyone from approaching. Rumors circulated that a "god" resided in the mountain, serving as An Lushan's guardian.

Shen Mo's gaze sharpened slightly.

A god with a fox's head and a human body.

Faceless statue.

Black mist.

His soul dissipated.

These scattered pieces of information pointed to a field that was not unfamiliar to him.

Haunted.

Or rather, it is of the same origin as evil spirits, some kind of ancient and more eerie existence.

So this was An Lushan's true reliance.

It was neither the 200,000-strong army nor the emperor's favor.

Rather, they are the demons and monsters hidden beneath the power of the mortal world.

A faint smile curved Shen Mo's lips.

well.

That way, it won't be too boring.

He withdrew his finger, and the jade slip gently fell back into the box.

"Well done."

He spoke, his voice flat.

Feng Jin, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly trembled, and a huge surge of joy welled up in his heart.

Just four words made him feel that all the price the Bad Guys paid was worth it.

"This is for you."

Shen Mo flicked his finger.

A pure white jade pendant landed in front of Feng Jin.

It contains his sword intent, capable of cutting down all things.

Feng Jin stared at the jade pendant, momentarily at a loss.

The next moment, he saw Shen Mo's figure stand up from the stone bench.

He simply took a step towards the courtyard gate.

The figure in blue vanished into thin air in the moonlight.

Feng Jin's pupils suddenly contracted.